Books on Acting

Our studio is based on the core principles of acting as described by Konstantin Stanislavski and Uta Hagen. Stanslavski's unabridged and restored book An Actor's Work as translated by Jean Benedetti is authoritative and thorough, laying down the key process elements of acting fundamentals.

Respect for Acting contains Uta Hagen's important Nine Questions every actor must work through in creating a dynamic and multi-dimensional character.

Students who study these foundational texts often ask for further recommendations, not only about the acting process, but voice and speech, movement and more.

Here is a list of texts that supplement our teaching at The Studio Seattle and a brief description of their focus:

---

The Viewpoints Book by Ann Bogart and Tina Landau

From Scribd: "The Viewpoints Book, authored by Anne Bogart and Tina Landau, presents an innovative improvisational technique derived from postmodern dance, focusing on the elements of space and time to enhance collaboration among actors. It serves as a practical guide for theatre practitioners and others interested in creative processes, offering insights into movement, composition, and the dynamics of performance. The book emphasizes the importance of Viewpoints and Composition as essential tools for fostering artistic exploration and collaboration in various contexts."

We use The Viewpoints as a warm up and acting exercise to build awareness, ensemble, impulse and creative spontaneity.

Freeing the Natural Voice: Imagery and Art in the Practice of Voice and Language by Kristin Linklater

From The Kristin Linklater Voice Centre: "Linklater’s approach is to liberate the voice you have rather than apply vocal techniques from the outside. Her basic assumption is that everyone possesses a voice capable of expressing whatever emotion, mood or thought he/she experiences."

Connecting with our acting process and movement instruction, we emphasize the discovery of an actor's voice frmo the center of their being: true, authentic, powerful and clear.

Playing Shakespeare by John Barton and Speaking Shakespeare by Patsy Rodenburg

Both of these now classic texts go far beyond their detailed approaches to unlocking Shakespeare for actors. They both embrace and meld profound insights into the acting process with the greatest dramatic text ever written in English. As a legendary actor once said: "If you can master Shakespeare, you can master any dramatic text there ever was, or will be."

The Actor and the Target by Declan Donnellan

From Goodreads: “Acting is a reflex, a mechanism for development and survival. . . . It isn’t ‘second nature,’ it is ‘first nature.’”—Declan Donnellan

"This immensely popular and ever-practical book on acting takes a scalpel to the heart of actors’ persistent fears, helping them to release their talent on stage. It is straightforward and unpretentious, with a spirit of artistic and personal freedom."

Developing the skill to "get out of yourself" and focus on changing the other character in a scene is about targeting one's actions. This leads to liberation, risk, powerful emotion and authentic human behavior.

---

There are many interesting books written on the subject of acting, which is ironic because acting cannot really be learned though a book, nor is it really a candidate for self-learning.

As it is fundamentally about human interaction, acting requires other humans to fulfill its promise and potential. However, these and other texts can be useful references, starting points or moments of reflection for the evolving actor.

We trust these texts, and hope you find them worthwhile.